Our Many Masks
by ChaosCoyote
Summary: A pseudo sequel to "Rhubella Revealed" Chaos is hanging out at Rhubella's house, and taking a break from homework, the two discuss life.


Rhubella bit her lower lip quietly while her eyes caressed the endless diamonds glittering high above her head. She shifted quietly where she lay; sprawled out on the soft cushion of grass her backyard offered and chewed on the question posed to her. She let it tumble about her head for a few moments, quietly peering at it from every angle, before her lips pursed together and she whispered the truest statement she'd ever dared hope to speak in her life.

"Lonely." The rat hissed softly, her voice trickling into the night sky and vanishing into the darkness. Chaos hadn't been expecting that answer, but he accepted it none the less. It had taken almost an entire minute for the young rat to respond, but when Chaos had prompted her with the query: "What's it like being popular?" He wasn't totally sure what to expect.

"Lonely?" Chaos asked, his voice causing a shudder of amusement to tremble through Ruby. It was the accent, she figured. Surely, it was the accent. She nodded her head quietly, letting her thoughts fade from the bright, shimmering stars above her and to the topic at hand.

"...I have to be what everybody else wants me to be. I have to fit into the categories and the cliques and the cut out little boxes...I'm not allowed to be anything else, cause if I am, I'm not popular. I'm...I'm everybody else." She explained frowned and shook his head, reaching a single paw up to brush his messy crop of fur away from his eyes.

"What's wrong with being everybody else? I'M everybody else! It'd be easier to be yourself then to be what they want you to be....wouldn't it?" The boy quipped. Ruby stared longingly into the sky with a trembling lower lip, before she finally shook her head and gave a breathless tilted his head curiously, eyes glimmering with an eager thirst for knowledge, before he realized he wasn't getting the answer he'd been hoping for. Instead he let the topic fade intothe darkness, and let his gaze trickle up into the sky's glossy diamond pattern.

"Why is it so important to be popular anyway? Who cares what other people think of you?" Chaos blurted out, his voice peeling past his lips like a revved engine before he could stop it. Rhubella stared for a few moments.

"I called you over here to finish my homework, not play twenty questions." She snapped to the canine's surprise. "But since we're taking a break and if you MUST know, Chaos, it may be lonely, but it's important, but when it's all you ha-"She trailed off, her voice dying in her throat before the rest of the sentence could be finished. Chaos gawked at her for a few moments, before he gave a chuckle.

"You're kidding right? All you have? HELLO!? You've got this huge house, tons of money, and a dad who's like, super high profile lawyer, and a mom, Ruby!! Not to mention you're an only child! I mean, I'm ignored half the time I'm at home, but I bet they lavish you with attention all day long!! I WISH I had your life sty-"Chaos let his voice die. Somewhere, deep in his head, there was a little Coyote helplessly pounding on an "ABORT" Button to stop him from talking, but it was far too late. There was a surge of sensation that flooded his being that told him somehow, someway, he'd stumbled onto something he wasn't supposed to know about. Rhubella's ears twitched and she stared teary eyed into the distance.

"Get out." She croaked hoarsely, voice trembling and gripped with tears. Chaos tilted his head quietly letting his mouth drop open, but he couldn't figure out what he wanted to say.

"Rhubella...I..."  
"OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT OF HERE!!" The rat shrieked, tears trickling down her cheeks as she wildly batted her paws at the coyote whom stumbled back in a baffled tango of trips and footfalls.  
"Wh, What?! I don't understand!! Wha-"  
"DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK! DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK HERE! DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!!" The rodent shrieked furiously, watching the young coyote stumble towards the gate to her back yard and flop over it, before racing off, more than likely confused as she was angry. How dare he! How DARE he say something so incredibly...

The young rat turned towards her house, unable to stop the free flowing tears that raced down her cheeks. A father who spent all his time working on court cases and out of town, and a mother who spent all her time at the bottom of a bottle. The shallow, shameless, illusion of love that haunted her...the mask of affection and the painted on warmth...The hollow, broken, empty place she pretended was a home. In reality all she had was a very large roof, and a fist full of money to substitute for happiness...and all that she had to hang onto was the people she surrounded herself with at school...the fake friends and the fake smiles and the fake pleasure of fake happiness... Her fake existence.

She couldn't stop the tears now, the streaming, blinding tears radiating the depths of her sadness. She didn't even bother to pitch a fit when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and squeeze her tightly, letting her rest against thin arms and scrawny muscle. In an eternity of minutes, she finished crying and looked up atChaos, who let his nose brush hers quietly, his eyes glistening with concern.

"...You can hit me if you wa-" The blow was fast and unpredictable, and the next thing Chaos saw, was Rhubella standing over him with a snarl across her muzzle.

"Didn't I tell you NOT to come back here? God, you're such a screw up. You are KILLING me Chaos. Get your sorry tail back into my room and finish my homework NOW. You're lucky I'm still talking to you after THAT stunt, you mistake. MARCH!" Therat snarled, reaching up to rub her eyes with the back of a paw.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back here? Why are you putting yourself through dealing with me? Your making me question myself and cracking my thin veil of reality! But please don't leave me alone tonight...please? Let's go inside. I don't want to talk about this anymore." HeardChaos, who quietly crept to his feet with a paw held over his swelling eye.

"...I'm sorry." He whispered quietly. Rhubella stared at him for a long few moments, before she nodded her head.  
"You really are." She snorted quietly, leading the boy back through the twisting halls of her home, till she reached her bedroom. She stopped outside the door for a long moment, as if coming to a decision and turned to stare at the canine.  
"Why Chaos? Why are you here?" She asked, her voice strangled with emotion and anger, pity and fear. Chaos tilted his head to one side, as if it were the dumbest question in the world.  
"...Who else is gonna get one hundred percent of your homework one hundred percent right?" He asked, and flashed a crooked smile. Rhubella raised an eyebrow, and despite everything that happened, she felt the glimmering twinkle of a smile twitch at her lips.

"You're an idiot. You are the dumbest coyote I have ever met. Get inside. Now." She grinned and flung the door open, and Chaos marched inside with a flicker of his tail. He always thought Rhubella was a brat; stuck up, snobby and downright mean, but there had been something about her that kept drawing his attention back to her. Something in hervoice that seemed like only he could hear-a familiar chime of sadness and a begging for acceptance. It was the same something that made him walk right back into that room. It was an inspiration; A desire to discover that there was more to life then quiet suffering and hidden pain. And when he discovered that long lost miserable secret...he knew exactly who he was going to share it with first.


End file.
